Fallout: Cold Steele
by Ryan Dee Smith
Summary: Follow the life of a former Brotherhood of Steel Paladin seeking a better purpose after the incident at HELIOS One, set before, during, and after the events of Fallout: New Vegas!
1. Chapter 1: The Paladin

2276, the year in which the already shaky relationship between the NCR and the Brotherhood of Steel's Mojave chapter took a turn for the worse. The year that HELIOS One was torn from the hands of the Brotherhood in what was known as Operation: Sunburst. This year would be engraved in the memories of those who survived the battle at the solar plant who hid out of fear, and the few abandoned or cowardly members who never returned home. One of these survivors, was a Brotherhood of Steel Paladin known as Claire Simmons, whose fate was left to the wasteland when her allies assumed the worst for her.

She remembers the feeling of her body being trashed by a hail of bullets during the attempt at defending HELIOS One, what felt like needles piercing through her armor with ease quickly disposing her and her fellow Paladins. As the loud clang of her metallic shell against the dirt signaled the death of the young warrior, the NCR muscle continued on inside the facility. Unfortunately for both them and her, there was still some kick left in Claire's body, whether it be from a rush of adrenaline or a different fate already sealed for the woman by the Wasteland. However, Claire wasn't about to let what little life she'd been granted be foolishly wasted against overwhelming odds. She took the chance to abandon her people who had so equally abandoned her, and managed to escape the scene unnoticed among the commotion.

Through what could only be described as miraculous if not nearly impossible to accomplish, Claire escaped the battlefield at HELIOS One and arrived at the Scrap Yard of Old Lady Gibson. The old woman, both concerned for Claire's life and seeing her armor as potential profiting in terms of repair when the wounded soldier felt better, took her in and allowed Claire to hide out in her garage until the commotion had settled and she was safe from harm. Finally able to catch her breath, Claire stared up at the ceiling while her heavy breathing echoed through the mostly empty garage. With the silence of the building being provided to her after Lady Gibson had gone outside to ensure her safety, Claire's mind began running astir with questions. "What...", she asked before coughing, " What did I just risk my life for? What did we just gain from losing so much of our chapter?" Before she was able to conclude the various untrusting questions about her loyalty to the Brotherhood, she felt a heavy pain on her chest. She clutched her chest before letting out a series of strained coughs, rolling over onto her side before fainting from the pain.

Days passed, and eventually Claire regained her consciousness and strength with the help of Lady Gibson who sought out the medical aid of a traveling caravan. As Claire sat up on the side of the bed and took off her helmet to hold her forehead, she opened her eyes to be greeted by the kindly old woman and merchant who restored both her and her equipment to working condition. The two smiled when they saw Claire had finally come to. "Good to see you're awake!", Gibson remarked happily, patting the noticeably cleaner shoulder pad of her power armor, " I was hoping those repairs would be worth the hassle!" "Oh? Well thank you.", Claire responded tiredly, looking over at the merchant who had been standing there quietly with what seemed to be a First Aid Kit in his hands. " I suppose I should pay you two?" Gibson and the merchant exchanged looks before turning back to Claire, both shrugging to give off a neutral response. "As much as I'd love to have you pay me for fixing you up, I was hardly able to do much in the way of medical assistance. Consider my help a onetime only offer, I didn't expect a half dead woman to be carrying much pocket change anyway." Claire nodded thankfully before turning to the Merchant who had been less social than Old Lady Gibson. "And what do I owe you, sir?", she asked nervously, unsure of whether or not he expected a pay for saving her life. "I'll tell you what," he replied, nudging the chest plate of her armor, "my bodyguards were taken out by some Raiders at Novac just South of here. I'll lend you some armor I have on me to prevent the NCR nearby from opening fire on us, and if you can get me back to the Crimson Caravan Company safely then I'll consider your debt repaid." Pondering the offer the man had given but seeing no better alternative, Claire stood up from the bed and thanked Old Lady Gibson before heading out with the trader. With the Metal Armor the merchant had given her to keep her safe from NCR suspicion and a temporarily newfound purpose, Claire set out to escort her savior safely to the Crimson Caravan, though the long journey north may prove troublesome.


	2. Chapter 2: The Vipers

The duo began their journey north at 8 o'clock in the morning after an uneasy breakfast of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes and luckily Purified bottles of water. The hot sun beat down on Claire, who was thankful that the armor given to her by the kind merchant wasn't half as stuffy as her set of T-51b power armor. As they made their hike up north to their first stop, the 188 trading post, Claire could all too easily see the former battleground of HELIOS One just west of them before quickly blocking her view to it by moving over to the right side of the trader's Brahmin. The merchant noticed her uneasiness and smiled at her to reassure her, one which she faintly returned as the two made their way up the road. "You shouldn't worry so much.", the merchant said, reaching in one of the many bags on the Brahmin to drink as they walked. " The NCR wouldn't be looking for trouble after losing so many men at that plant, they're probably more focused on keeping that place secured than wasting men on scouting parties. " "I suppose you're right," Claire replied with a sigh, "but that doesn't change what they've done to me. Mentally and physically." The merchant's smile quickly dropped to a concerned frown, clearing his throat before focusing back on the road ahead.

After 50 minutes pass, the two approach what seems to be a gas station. The merchant quickly stopped Claire and their Brahmin by putting his arm out in front of them. "Hold up a sec.", he advised before taking out a pair of binoculars and scanning the area cautiously. "What's the matter?", Claire asked, tilting her head and leaning against the Pack Brahmin while she waited for an answer. " This place, the El Dorado Gas Station, is half the reason I have bodyguards.", he answered with a dry tone in his voice, sweat running down his face and dripping from his lightly bearded chin. "A gang here, calls themselves the Vipers? They set up ambushes here for wandering traders." "Well what do we do, then?", Claire replied as she reached for her Laser Rifle hilted on her back in case he were to choose the bloody route. The merchant sighed irritably before putting down his binoculars and looking over at Claire. " Well, unless you want to try and walk through that sandstorm of a Dry Lake over to our left after coughing your lungs out for the past few days, I'd suggest picking them off the trail." Claire smiled as she took her rifle from her holster, giving off an expression that said, "Say no more." "With the scope on this Laser Rifle and an extra adjustment I'd made for crowd control, they'll be gone quicker than it takes for me to pull the trigger." The merchant smirked and pat Claire on the back before pointing behind him. "We'll hang back here until you've cleared them out, bodyguard. Just try to come back in one piece, alright?" Claire nodded and turned her attention towards an old billboard which would provide for excellent cover, quickly running behind it before peering over the side of the sign as she looked down the scope of her weapon to get a good look at the present company.

There were 5 Vipers situated at the station, one man and woman patiently waiting under the roof of the gas pump lot while two other men were sitting at their recently extinguished campfire. The fifth member was a man who looked to be the leader of the Vipers encamped there, donning reinforced leather armor with a Hunting Rifle on his back who was leaning against the station's sign and overlooking the road. He keenly observed the two paths of the road, moving his head left to right before he saw the scope of Claire's weapon by the HELIOS One's billboard sign. "We've got a scout!", he barked loudly to alert the others, quickly moving to an alert stance as he equipped his fully modified rifle, aiming at Claire briefly before shooting at her. She dodged by hiding back behind the sign and gasped in surprise, the sight of such a powerful weapon in the hands of a mere thug making her wonder just how strong these gang members may be. She quickly peeked back from her hiding spot to see three of the goons running towards her equipped with two pistols and a shotgun, aiming at the huddled group and shooting at the frontal thug. As the bright red laser zipped through the air from her gun, the burning impact of its blast quickly killed the Viper, his body letting out an explosive corona of energy that caused a chain reaction among the other three and reducing the men to a heap of ash. "What the hell?!", the leader yelled in disbelief, having never seen a Laser Rifle have such an effect on a person. He quickly regained his composure and turned to his last henchman, who was equally as starstruck as he was. " Well don't just stand there!", he commanded as pulled the pistol from the Viper's belt and put it in her hands, "Shoot her!" The woman gulped in fear and shakily aimed at the killer of her friends, shooting an uncoordinated peppering of bullets at Claire while the leader ran towards her.

Claire ran from the side of the billboard she'd been on to the other as a means to misdirect her attackers, hurriedly aiming at the gun-slinging Viper and taking her out before she could notice. Her quick shot didn't kill the Viper, but crippled her right arm and caused her to drop her gun. The thug screamed in pain as the searing heat of the laser surged through her arm, though her distraction proved useful for the leader who had run behind the billboard when Claire's attention was focused away from him. He grabbed her by her shoulder before turning her towards him, letting go and plowing the butt of his rifle against her chest. While this method would've worked against a less armored opponent, the hit only dented the metal armor, and Claire countered by jabbing him in the stomach. He dropped his weapon and leaned down to hold his stomach in pain, giving Claire time to kick him and knock him over on his side. The Viper Leader laid there in a fetal position as he looked up towards the woman who'd defeated her, wincing in pain and gritting his teeth angrily. "My men have never fought against a bitch as tough as you! Where the hell is the NCR getting their mercs from?!" Claire stared down at the man and holstered her weapon before picking up his rifle and aiming it at his head, a dead expression on her face. "I'm not NCR.", she muttered coldly, before blowing the raider's head off with his own weapon. She sighed as she threw the Hunting Rifle down on his corpse, looking over to the old solar plant which was still in clear view. "I don't know who I'm with anymore.", she whispered to herself, emerging from behind the billboard to see her travelling companion at the gas station with the wounded Viper woman laying on the ground with now a broken leg alongside her arm. Claire walked over to the merchant with an irritated look on her face, the man not seeming to notice. " I thought I was supposed to be keeping you safe, why did you move on anyway?" "I heard the commotion stop, so I figured it was safe.", he replied, stretching as the Viper woman could be heard panting in pain. " Besides, I figured you'd try to finish off this raider with that explosive rifle of yours, and I'd prefer if she stayed alive to dissuade any other Vipers from camping out here. How the hell did you rig a Laser Rifle to do something like that anyway?" Claire shrugged and let out a yawn as she crossed her arms. "Just a little trick I learned after tweaking with Energy Weapons all my life. Works well, wouldn't you say?" "Yeah, you'll have to teach me that before I cut you loose, might be able to turn a profit for something that unique. Ready to move on?" Claire nodded and smiled at her friend as they continued on to the trading post, which was just on the horizon.

"By the way, I never did catch your name."

"My name? Well, it's Edward. Edward Stone."

"Edward, huh? Well I'm happy to be traveling with you."

"I am too."


End file.
